Simone Inzaghi is showing AC Milan and Juventus how to rotate effectively to manage the many commitments that a season has, and that is why Inter are runaway league leaders.
As La Gazzetta dello Sport writes, Sunday showed exactly why Inzaghi’s men have nine points more than Allegri’s and 13 more than Pioli’s, with one game less played. It is because of being able to effectively rotate.
The goal to make it 2-0 for Inter in their hammering of Lecce at the Stadio Via del Mare was emblematic: the ball started in Audero’s gloves, went to Bisseck, crossed the entire pitch and – with the seventh touch – Sanchez assisted Frattesi.
Inter often rolled out attacking moves like this from goal to goal, with passing/running triangles and almost automated movements that Inzaghi planted in the team’s memory in three years.
Inzaghi changed half the team in Lecce compared to the victory over Atletico Madrid and nobody noticed. For example Asslani’s pass, a player who has been constantly growing after a year of study, for Lautaro’s first goal was Calhanoglu-esque.
Meanwhile, Juventus scraped past Frosinone in the last minute having twice trailed, and while certain Inter players like Calhanoglu, Dimarco, Mkhitaryan seem in brilliant form, Allegri should be getting the same if not more from the likes of Chiesa, Vlahovic, Locatelli and others.
When Pioli tried to change more than half the team in Monza, a week earlier, he left three points there. Having reassembled the true Diavolo team against Atalanta, he got a great match out of them.
The length and quality of the bench have created much of the gap between the two Milanese teams. Aside from the injuries, Pioli lacked a fully reliable central defender and an alternative to Theo Hernandez, which seemed essential needs in the summer.
Many of the new signings have not yet met expectations such as Samuel Chukwueze and Noah Okafor, while even those who did better like Tijjani Reijnders and Ruben Loftus-Cheek did not reach the impact of Marcus Thuram.
The distance between Milan’s starters and alternatives is greater than that of Inter. The four Nerazzurri wing-backs, for example, are basically equal in quality. When the rotations starts on the flanks, Inzaghi’s team receives a burst of energy that Pioli cannot replicate.
Milan have a game, even an evolved one, a good one, as demonstrated against Atalanta. A game made of mobile functions, more liquid and unpredictable than that of Inter, but also more difficult to interpret, especially by the reserves, because it is less codified.
Its all the quality of coach. Inzaghi made a team, a playing pattern, an approach, a well oiled machine. Every players knows their role, when to pass and where to pass, when to anticipate, when to run. Its obvious they are a well trained team with a proper game plan and strategy.
But, Pioli couldn’t make a performing team, rather its individual brilliance which brings the goal chances. Players don’t know to play some coordinated collective game. Poor training and tactics.
Yes, sir. I’m glad more and more people realize that inter plays as a team while at Milan individuals play.
If you look at the inter squad outside of maybe Thuram, because of his speed, no other inter player is good in 1v1. No other player can beat his man of the dribble. Yet they are humming offensively, starters or backups.
In defense, none of their defenders, including Pavard, is good in 1v1, yet they have the best defense in Europe.
In Milan, the whole Pioli concert is “Let’s hope individuals like Theo, Leao, Pulisic, RLC can beat their man in 1v1 and create numerical advantage.” There is zero team concept.
A Milan account on X the other day posted a video praising Milan build up from the back. The video was over a minute long of Maignan, Theo, Florenzi, Gabbia, and Adli passing back and forth to each other, and they didn’t even come close to getting out of their own half.
What a burden it should have been for you to be the only one knowing the truth during all that time. It’s not like a complete turnover in the midfield have led to a lack of chemistry.
How do explain last year then?